Mark Lucas of Americans for Prosperity steers this SUV around Iowa to carry the group's conservative message. / Special to the Register

Written by

Mark Lucas

Driving a purple SUV painted with a cartoonish political message around the highways of Iowa may seem like a world away from what Mark Lucas was doing a little over two years ago in Afghanistan.

Lucas, who grew up in Wilton, served as an infantry rifle platoon leader in the Army National Guard. In Afghanistan, he was deployed along the treacherous Pakistan border. He said it was his dream job — rooting out the enemy, working to rebuild local governments and communities, and bringing every soldier home alive.

He returned to Iowa in August 2011, not yet 30 years old and not sure what he would do with his life. “The things I accomplished over there, I had a big fear coming home that the most significant part of my life was behind me,” Lucas said. “How can I top what I did over there?”

Lucas had grown up with politics. His father, also Mark Lucas, was a radio talk-show host in Muscatine. Young Mark was elected student body president of his high school and, at 19, went on to be the youngest city council member and mayor pro tem ever elected in Wilton.

When 9/11 happened and he decided to join the military, it “completely changed the trajectory of my life,” Lucas said. When he returned, politics was at the bottom of a lengthy list of possible career choices.

But a friend persuaded him to interview with Americans for Prosperity, a nonprofit conservative issue advocacy group that was planning to expand into Iowa. The group’s grassroots approach and its message advocating job growth and especially a concern about deficit control captured Lucas’ attention.

Lucas, now a captain and a company commander in the Iowa National Guard, had seen the toll the weak economy and scarcity of jobs had taken on returning soldiers under his command. Too many of them were unemployed, suffering from post-traumatic stress, and getting in trouble with drugs and alcohol. His men were telling him they felt their other problems would resolve themselves if they had a job.

Lucas saw Americans for Prosperity as a way to help the guys who had his back in the Army. “They were talking about the deficit. I was thinking about my soldiers not being able to find work, the economy being really bad and so I went from not even being interested to, wow, now I think I really want this job.”

Now 31 and father to a 3-month-old daughter, Lucas is traveling the state, raising money and organizing issue-based political events. His personal story, combined with an earnest, appealing manner, makes him an attractive spokesman for the group.

Americans for Prosperity, founded by billionaires David and Charles Koch, spent about $36 million in the 2012 election cycle and about $3 million in Iowa. Lucas says the Iowa staff is growing, and the main focus will be the Iowa Senate race.

Americans for Prosperity’s energy agenda opposes the renewable energy subsidies that most Iowa elected officials vow to protect, such as the wind energy tax credit. It has sided with Republicans who want to separate food-safety programs from the farm bill. Even so, top Iowa Republicans have not shied away. In the past few weeks he’s held events with Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Steve King, aimed at highlighting issue differences with Democratic Senate candidate Bruce Braley (hence the purple “Big Government Braley” vehicle).

Gov. Terry Branstad, who has appeared at the group’s events, said issue differences aren’t important. “I think they’re kind of a natural ally because their philosophy is they want to grow private-sector businesses and jobs and eliminate some of the barriers,” he said. “But the truth of the matter is, just because we disagree on one issue is no reason why we should not work with them.”

The energy and farm policy differences likely will limit how much the group can grow in Iowa, but right now it seems to be finding a niche. The Iowa Republican Party isn’t traveling around the state trying to soften up Braley in advance of the 2014 elections, but Americans for Prosperity is. The group is testing technology for grassroots organizing that Lucas hopes will increase its influence in the 2014 election.

The future is wide open for Lucas. He says he’s not interested in running for office, although he seems like a natural. Instead, he’s pursuing his chosen mission with the same focus he brought to his military career. “Right now,” he said, “I’ve looked at the country and I’m like OK, I can rededicate my service into fixing these problems.”